Cigarette advertising display



A. L, DUDEK CIGARETTE ADVERTISING DISPLAY Filed April 14, 1941 O' Il. A V ...1., f

Patented Apr. 7, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,279,113 CIGARETTE ADVERTISING DISPLAY Augustin L. Dudek, Ashtabula, Ohio Application April' 14, 1941, Serial No. 388,364

2 claims. (o1. 40s-126) My invention relates to advertising displays, particularly to displays of objects that are adapted to emit smoke or vapor, in order to create in the mind of the person viewing thej display a desired impression of reality.

The display in which my invention is centered consists in theV eigy of an ashtray, bearing in emgy on its rim a partly burned cigarette, which is painted in representation of a glowing ash at the tip. Means are provided within the body of the simulated tray for generating smoke, or a vapor that appears to be smoke. The smoke has access to the cigarette and it emerges through the simulated glowing tip. The device is intended as an advertising novelty, to be placed in a shop Window against a suitable background, where perhaps packages of cigarettes are grouped in an attractive way.

In accordance with the invention, I arrange the smoke-generating means within the body of the eiligy itself, within the ashtray in this case. Thus I avoid the use of a separate housing, or a special wall or partition, that otherwise might be required to conceal the smoke-generating means from view. The egy of the invention is self-contained, affording not merely simplicity and compactness of construction, but greater economy in manufacture and better appearance in use. The particular structure of the smokegenerating means, as Well as the orginization of such means within the efgy, are features of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing an exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated. Fig. I is a view of the article in plan from above; and Fig. II is a view of the same in vertical section, on the plane II-II of Fig. I.

Referring to the drawing, the dummy ashtray consists of a hollow .body 2, in this case a cylindrical body molded of any suitable material, such as an opaque glass, or a molding plastic, such as urea formaldehyde. The appearance of the body suggets a jar for containing cigarettes, upon which the ashtray itself rests as a cover. Within the body 2 is assembled a container 3 for supply 30 of suitable smoke-generating liquid. A charging orifice, normally closed by a screw stopper 3a, opens through the bottom of the container. Within the container 3 is a well 4 that includes means for generating heat, and such means consist in this case in a heat-affording electric lamp 5, seated in an electric socket 6, from which circuit wires 'I extend, through an opening 8 in the oor of the body 2, to a suitable source of electric current. Fitted over the lamp is a liquid-absorbing jacket or wick 9', fashioned of an absorbent, heat-resisting material, such as an asbestos fabric. seep-holes III open from the liquid-containing compartment oi' the container 3 into the bottom of the well, and thus it is that the body of the" jacket or wick 9 is maintained in saturated' condition. The wick serves to maintaina lm of liquid upon, or adjacent to, the wall of the lamp 5, and under the heat of the lamp the desired smoke is generated. I form the holes ID of such size that the flow of liquid into the well 4 is constricted, for manifestly it is desirable, if not essential, that the heat-generating means (the lamp 5 and its electric socket 6) shall not be inundated. Additionally, I provide at the bottom of well I an annular partition 40. This partition snugly embraces the base of the lamp 5 and the electric socket 6, forming between the Wall of the Well and the partition an annular space, into which the seep-holes immediately open. The base of the wick 9 is thickened, as shown at 90, and the quantity of liquid entering the well is determined by the capillary attraction of the wick body. Thus, the liquid entering the well is restricted to that quantity which is required to maintain the desired smokeproducing lm on the heat source 5.

The smoke-producing liquid may be water, or a low volatile oil, or any other liquid or solution, which when heated gives off a smoke or visible vapor. The smoke generated in the well 4 rises into a smoke-chest I5 formed by and between the walls of the container 3 and the .body 2 of the ashtray, and from such chest the smoke ascends through a passageway II into the hollow body I2 of the simulated cigarette that appears to lie free in a rest I3 of familiar form that rests upon the rim of the tray. The hollow body of the dummy cigarette may be formed of sheet metal, or of other suitable material, and it is externally painted or colored in representation of a, real cigarette. In this case the cigarette body is formed, or assembled, integrally with the rest I3. The hollow body of the cigarette, otherwise of hermetic construction, is ported, at I2a, through the tip that simulates the ash upon a, lighted cigarette, and through such port the smoke generated in the well 4 is discharged, with the desired effect. It is only through the opening provided at the tip that the smoke generated within body 2 is discharged.

In order to expedite the movement of smoke from the container, I form the container 3 smaller in diameter than the chamber within body 2, and I position the container at an interval from the floor of such chamber, with the effect that the smoke-chest l5 envelops the container. And in the oor of the body 2, I provide inlets I4, through which air from the outer atmosphere enters, and, rising in the containerenveloping smoke-chest, entrains smoke and carries it through the ported tip of the cigarette.

It is known that titanium tetrachloride (TiCh) fumes in the open atmosphere, producing a thick vapor that looks like smoke. I contemplate using such chemical in my structure. A store of TiCLi is enclosed in the container, and, as in the case of the liquid already described, the wick 9 is maintained in saturated condition. The liquid TiCh, evaporating from the surface of the wick into the air within the chest I5,

produces smoky fumes that are dischargedl from the cigarette tip with the desired effect. Indeed,

the heat source 5 may in this case be omitted,y

since TiCl4 lwill fume suiiciently at normal atmospheric temperatures.

It will be readily apparent that the body 2;

upon its rim a partially consumed cigarette, and smoke-generating means arranged Within said body, such means including a container for a supply of smoke-generating liquid, a well with seep-holes at its bottom through which the well is in communication with the container and through which there is restricted escape of liquid from such supply, and means within the well for promoting vaporization of in-seeping liquid,said cigarette eiligy having a hollow body that, otherwise closed, is open to ingress of vapor from said vwell and to the escape of vapor through' its ash-simulating tip to the outer atmosphere.

2. An advertising device consisting of a container simulating an ashtray carrying in efflgy upon its rim a partially consumed cigarette, said container including a store of smoke-generating liquid, a well in said container in restricted communication with such store of liquid, a heat source arranged within such well, a wick arranged within the well, said wick being adapted to absorb liquid entering the well and being exposed to the heating influence of said source, said well being ported through the ash-simulating tip of the cigarette eiigy to the outer atmosphere.

AUGUSTIN L. DUDEK. 

